More than two months after the Aug. 8 wildfires scorched West Maui's historic town, Mindi Cherry's first-grade students returned to class on Wednesday in a different environment.
The King Kamehameha III Elementary School teacher had 19 students before the fire. Now she has four.
"It was expected," Cherry told HPR. "We just didn't know to what degree it would be. It feels like we have half of the kids that we would normally have."
Lāhaināluna High, Lāhainā Intermediate and Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary reopened to students this week. The fire destroyed King Kamehameha III Elementary, so students and teachers will share a campus with Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary until a temporary site is built.
Enrollment has declined as students returned to their Lāhainā schools. According to the Hawaiʻi Department of Education, 72% of 3,001 students have enrolled in four West Maui schools.
The return for some 2,100 students in Lāhainā could provide a sense of normalcy for children. The blaze killed at least 99 people, including a Lāhaināluna High School junior.
During Thursday's Board of Education meeting, Deputy Superintendent Tammi Oyadomari-Chun said more than 500 students are enrolled in other Maui schools.
Other students attend public, private or charter schools elsewhere — and some move out of state.
Lāhaināluna High and Lāhainā Intermediate had the most students enrolled, however, the numbers were low for the elementary schools.
King Kamehameha III Elementary enrollment stands at 380 — about two-thirds of what it was before the fire.
BOE member Kahele Dukelow pointed to a significant number of students who have yet to attend school and asked how the education department will conduct outreach.
She said there might be issues with transportation, or families don't feel comfortable sending their kids to Lāhainā schools.
Oyadomari-Chun said follow-ups are underway.
"We know families are still settling on what choices that they're making," she said. "We know that students' families' situations are changing as well. People's housing situations are changing or employment."
"We do see daily that students are enrolling and disenrolling in different schools," she continued.
Justin Hughey, a former King Kamehameha III Elementary teacher, said he teaches at Kahului Elementary because the Lāhainā schools are too close to burn areas. He emphasized that he's worried about his health.
The DOE has deemed the air, water and soil quality surrounding the Lāhainā schools safe. But some teachers and parents are skeptical.
"It's going to take time for people to move back into Lāhainā," Hughey said. "I have no idea how this is going to pan out. It's a wait-and-see and one day at a time."
